May 22, 2007 - Day trippin´ to San José

Yesterday we spent the day in San José (and a *lot* of that day getting there and back). We had a list a mile long, and accomplished only a fraction of what we intended. But, it was more a day trip than a "must do this list of things" trip.

Our list:
- look for / buy Tums, Liqui-Gel Advil, Tinactin, Salad dressing (Ranch and Blue Cheese), different scotch or bourbon
- get information on CPAP machine replacement (for when mine breaks; it's ok now, but I dread it breaking again, and want to know exactly what to expect in Costa Rica)
- get shoes that fit
- go to ARCR; get El Residente magazine, set up mail forwarding, buy ¨Costa Rica by Bus¨ book, get info on medical insurance, get directions to shoe place and return bus to Cartago
- talk to a guitar-maker recommended by a neighbor
- go to a book store
- go to a museum

What we accomplished:
- no Tums, salad dressing, scotch, or bourbon; found a possible replacement for tinactin; found that Liqui-Gel Advil is sold (as is, different name) as a remedy for ¨woman´s troubles¨
- found the ¨Praxair¨ (c 4y6, A16 - SW of Clínica Bíblica) place, and talked to a woman about CPAPs. She said they are just starting to handle them, and the person who knows more wasn´t there just then. We got her card and need to call back. BUT! she did mention perhaps providing a loaner if we had to wait for a replacement machine.
- got cowboy boots that fit great (even with my orthotics) on the first try! Off-the-shelf even! Skipped the custom-boot makers. Went on to the custom-shoe-makers, but couldn´t find them.
- got info, etc from ARCR; skipping medical insurance questions until later
- skipped the guitar-maker, bookstore, and museum...

Our loooong day (7 bus trips and a taxi ride, PLUS walking, walking, walking):
Caught the 9:15 bus from Orosí to Cartago, then found the San José bus with enough time to spare for a bathroom break. Landed in San José at 11:00, spent a few minutes flailing around figuring out where we were exactly (asked a few bus drivers, bank guards, and unfortunate passers-by). Walked to Praxair, then caught a taxi to ARCR environs and had lunch. Found out about the Periférica bus line from ARCR, and took it - got off and on THREE times and saw a bit of San José and San Pedro. Went to several malls, walked around looking for stuff. HUGE help from the last Periférica bus driver, who pointed out our Periférica stop, and more help from a fellow passenger who walked us down to the San Pedro bus stop for Cartago. We left San Pedro at 4:40, and got to Cartago at 5:30; immediately hopped on the bus for Orosí, and got home at 6:00. WHEW!

Some items:
Our bus driver from Cartago to San José was pulled over for speeding. Almost all of the buses started before we were seated - we both have numerous bruises and wrenches. At the San Pedro bus stop, we saw all sorts of interesting attractions: another guitar-maker, foreign-film festival, books, used DVDs and CDs, Indian food...